Opposition TDP charged the arrest was part of the YSRCP government's intimidatory tactics against its vocal critic Ayyanna.
Published Nov 03, 2022 | 11:54 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 03, 2022 | 2:45 PM
TDP senior leader, Ex minister Ch Ayyanapatrudu has an argument with CID sleuths before his arrest at his residence on Thursday. (Video grab)
In an early morning swoop, CID sleuths on Thursday, 3 November, arrested former minister and senior TDP leader Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu and his younger son Rajesh from their residence in Narasipatnam of Anakapalle district.
An outspoken leader, Ayyanna Patrudu is known for his inflammatory, provocative and aggressive comments, especially against Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. He has been targeting Jagan ever since the YSRCP formed the government.
The father-son duo was arrested on charges of forgery based on a complaint filed by the state Irrigation Department with the CID.
Ayyanna Patrudu is already facing around 10 cases registered by the police in the last two years.
Another son of Ayyanna’s, Chinthakayala Vijay, was also booked by the CID in a case a few days ago. He secured a stay from a court, preventing the CID from pressing ahead with the case, and effectively avoiding arrest.
The CID had registered a case againast Ayyanna and his son based on the complaint by Irrigation Department officials who alleged the duo had submitted a fake certificate in the high court in a matter involving the demolition of a boundary wall of their house.
It was alleged that the duo had occupied a portion of the Ravanapalli irrigation canal and constructed a boundary wall of their house on it.
In June a compound wall of his house in Narsipatnam of Anakapalle district was demolished using a bulldozer by the civic authorities.
While the family members of Ayyanna alleged the wall was demolished without giving any prior notice and an NOC was already obtained to construct the wall long ago, the civic staff said a notice had been issued.
Ayyanna’s wife Padmavathi at that time alleged that power had been snapped in the early hours of the day and that the civic staff started demolishing the wall using bulldozers without any intimation or notice.
High drama preceded the early morning arrest of the senior TDP leader on Thursday. Scores of supporters of Ayyanna and also his personal staff had an altercation with the cops.
Padmavathi alleged that some of the cops were drunk and had misbehaved with family members. She asked why they were arrested without any prior intimation.
Visuals of the arraest showed some CID men had jumped over the compound wall to gain entry into Ayyanna’s residence before opening the gates for the rest of the team members to enter.
A senior TDP leader from north Andhra, Ayyanna has been a bitter critic of the Jagan government, courting controversies for the last three years.
కొందరు పోలీసులు తాగి వచ్చారు, స్వామి మాలలో ఉన్న రాజేష్ తో ఎంతో అమర్యాదగా ప్రవర్తించారు. ఆది నుండీ ఈ ప్రభుత్వపు అక్రమాలను ప్రశ్నిస్తున్నందుకు అయ్యన్నపై కక్ష గట్టారు. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/BphApxHv04
— Telugu Desam Party (@JaiTDP) November 3, 2022
Ever since YSRCP came to power in 2019, at least half a dozen senior and prominent leaders of the TDP have arrested on various charges.
TDP Andhra unit chief and former minister K Atchennaidu, Kuna Ravi Kumar, Chintamaneni Prabhakar, Kollu Ravindra, and five-time MLA Dhulipala Narendra were arrested in several different cases.
They all secured bail after spending some time in prison.
Not surprisingly, the Opposition TDP lambasted the Jagan government for arresting Ayyanna, with party supremo Nara Chandrababu Naidu asking if Jagan Mohan Reddy was the Chief Minister or a demon.
Strongly condemning the action against the former minister and Backward Class leader and his son, the former chief minister said that he was shocked to know that the police jumped over walls and broke doors while executing the arrest.
రాష్ట్ర ముఖ్యమంత్రి జగన్ రెడ్డి ఒక సిఎం లా కాకుండా రాక్షసుడిలా వ్యవహరిస్తున్నాడు. గోడలు దూకి, తలుపులు పగల గొట్టి నర్సీపట్నంలో మాజీ మంత్రి, బిసి నేత అయ్యన్న పాత్రుడి ని అరెస్టు చెయ్యడం దిగ్ర్బాంతి కలిగించింది.(1/3)#WeStandWithAyyanna pic.twitter.com/R2NTLXFbGO
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) November 3, 2022
Naidu said that ever since Jagan came to power, he has been haunting Ayyanna and his family members.
Noting that 10 cases have been registered against Ayyanna and his family members subjecting them to various kinds of harassment, Naidu said the police did not mend their ways despite the court finding fault with the CID with regard to the case registered against other son, Vijay.
“The state has never witnessed incidents like this wherein the police forcibly entered into houses like dacoits and took the residents into custody. The arrest of Ayyanna is only to stifle the voice of the Backward Classes (s he is questioning the YSRCP leaders for looting North Andhra. Since there are no proper answers to the questions raised by Ayyanna, the government is resorting to these arrests and the registration of false cases,” Naidu said.
(This story has been updated correcting Ayyanna Patrudu’s name)
